Advertising and Promotion of Different FMCG Brands in India

Expansion & Promotion Strategies of different FMCG brands in India

Expansion & Promotional Strategies of different FMCG Brand in INDIA

Index

Contents Page no.Introduction 3Sales Promotion - Ponds Case 5Major methods of Advertising 6Rural Promotion and Advertising - 8Tiger Biscuit and Parachute CasePromotional activities in 2009 9HUL (Hindustan Unilever Ltd.) 12GCPL (Godrej Consumer Private 14Ltd.) Segment - ORAL CARE 14

- Colgate - Pepsodent - Close up - Babool - Anchor White

Segment - SOAPS 23- Dove - Lifebuoy - Dettol - Lux - Medimix - Cinthol

Segment - WASHING POWDERS 39- Surf excel- Nirma

Fair and lovely 44ITC Biscuits 48Cornetto Ice cream 49Axe Deodrant 49

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Introduction

The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector is also a rapidly evolving one, where companies have to literally ‘move fast’ to ensure they are ahead of the competition. While advertising and promotion costs are high, companies have to frequently launch new products to expand their market share. Leading FMCG players have a vast portfolio of products and brands that keeps growing by the day. The Indian financial year starts in April while as the peak consumption season - both for agricultural and consumer products in India is in the post-monsoon phase beginning October. This also coincides with the festive season and manufacturers and retailers come out with several attractive offers and schemes for consumers. Rural India is flush with cash following the monsoon, and consumers are inclined to spend a great deal more during this period. For many FMCG companies a large chunk of their revenues - up to about 60 per cent -comes from new product launches. Companies like Dabur, ITC, Britannia Industries, Nestle and Amul are among those, which are currently unveiling dozens of new products in time for the peak consumer season. Leading FMCG firms like HUL, ITC, Nestle, Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline Healthcare - which account for almost 70 per cent of FMCG revenues in the country -spend almost 10 per cent of their turnover on advertising and brand promotion. They also focus a great deal on new product launches. With growing competition in the sector, it is natural that ad spends keep rising. Unlike the manufacturing sector, FMCG is not capital-intensive, but expenditure on promotions and branding is huge. FMCG players also have to diversify into other sub-sectors to ensure continuous growth. For instance, leading companies are now briskly expanding their presence in the bakery segment, enhancing their product portfolios by launching new brands. ITC, Britannia Industries, Amul and even a relatively smaller player like Gujarat-based Rasna, are currently unveiling new campaigns relating to their bakery product launches. The promotion strategy includes tying up with top Bollywood actors and other celebrity brand ambassadors, besides going in for high-profile launches at leading retail malls and outlets. Rural marketing is the much talked subject for the business establishment. A decade ago rural market was seem to be unstructured and this was not found to be a target location of the corporate. This is due to the hurdles such as illiteracy, lack of technology and other factors leading to the poor reach of products. But now “Go Rural” is the slogan of marketing gurus after analyzing the socio economic changes in villages. With the changing marketing scenario, the corporate marketing strategies need to be reshaped in order to have an increased awareness among consumers and the overall development in the rural sector. The 4 P’s of rural marketing which is a hit in the cities might not work in the rural areas. To promote brands in rural markets require special dealings. Consumers have graduated to branded products with increased affordability as a result of increasing rural income. Rural market is one of the best opportunity for sector in India. In this study the focusing is on the strategic issues of FMCG companies in rural marketing.


Sales Promotion

A sales promotion strategy is an activity that is designed to help boost the sales of a

product or service. This can be done through an advertising campaign, public relation

activities, a free sampling campaign, a gift campaign, a trading stamps campaign, through

demonstrations and exhibitions, through prize giving competitions, through temporary

price cuts, and through door-to-door sales, telemarketing, personal sales letters, and

emails. The importance of a sales promotion strategy cannot be underestimated. This is

because a sales promotion strategy is important to a business boosting its sales.

While developing a sales promotion strategy for the product it is important to keep the

following points in mind- Consumer attitudes and buying patterns, Brand strategy,

Competitive strategy, Advertising strategy, and other external factors that can influence your

products, availability and pricing.

Sales Promotion strategies

There are three types of sales promotion strategies:

1:-A push strategy

2:-A pull strategy or

3:-A combination of the two

A 'push' sales promotion strategy involves 'pushing' distributors and retailers to sell

your products and services to the consumer by offering various kinds of promotions

and personal selling efforts. The basic objective of this strategy is to persuade

retailers, wholesalers and distributors to carry your brand, give it shelf space, promote it by

advertising, and ultimately 'push' it forward to the consumer. Typical push sales promotion

strategies include; buy-back guarantees, free trials, contests, discounts, and specialty

advertising items.

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For Example: Ponds Cold Creams

Pond’s offer different cash discounts to the retailers for

different quantities.

2% discount on 10000 Purchase

3% discounts on 15000

4% discount on 25000

or

Ponds offer

A PVC jar Free on Purchase of 100 (100gm) Cold

Cream.

A 'pull' sales promotion strategy focuses more on the consumer instead of the reseller

or distributor. This strategy involves getting the consumer to 'pull' or purchase the

Product/services directly from the company itself. This strategy targets its marketing

efforts directly on the consumers with the hope that it will stimulate interest and demand

for the product. This pull strategy is often used when distributors are reluctant to carry or distribute a product.

For Example:

Ponds offer low introductory prices to the customers like in case of their new product

AGE MIRACLE,

They give some complementary gifts.

A 'combination' sales promotion strategy is just that; it is a combination of a push and

a pull strategy. It focuses both on the distributor as well as the consumers, targeting

both parties directly. It offers consumer incentives side by side with dealer discounts

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Advertisement

Advertising is the means of informing as well as influencing the general public to buy

products or services through visual or oral messages. A product or service is

advertised to create awareness in the minds of potential buyers. Some of the

commonly used media for advertising are T.V., radio, websites, newspapers,

magazines, bill-boards, hoardings etc. As a result of economic liberalization and the

changing social trends advertising industry has shown rapid growth in the last

decade. Advertising is one of the aspects of mass communication. Advertising is actually

brand-building through effective communication and is essentially a service industry. It

helps to create demand, promote marketing system and boost economic growth.Thus

advertising forms the basis of marketing.

Major methods for advertising

E-mail messages: These can be wonderful means to getting the word out about

the business. In this we design a e-mail software to include a "signature line" at the end of

each of our e-mail messages. Many e-mail software packages will automatically attach this

signature line to our e-mail, if we

prefer.

Magazines: Magazines ads can get quite expensive. Find out if there's a magazine that

focuses on your particular product. If there is one, then the magazine can be very useful

because it already focuses on your market and potential customers.

Newspapers: Almost everyone reads the local, major newspaper(s). You can get

your business in the newspaper by placing ads, writing a letter to the editor or working with a

reporter to get a story written about your business.

Radio announcements: A major advantage of radio ads is they are usually

cheaper

than television ads, and many people still listen to the radio, or example, when in their

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cars. Ads are usually sold on a package basis that considers the number of ads, the length

of ads and when they are put on the air. . A major consideration with radio ads is to get

them announced at the times that your potential customers are listening to the radio.

Television ads: Many people don't even consider television ads because of

the

impression that the ads are very expensive. They are more expensive than most of major

forms of advertising. However, with the increasing number of television networks and

stations, businesses might find good deals for placing commercials or other forms of

advertisements. Television ads usually are priced with similar considerations to radio ads,

that is, the number of ads, the length of ads and when they are put on the air.

Web Pages: You probably would not have seen this means of advertising on a list of

advertising methods if you had read a list even two years ago. Now, advertising and

promotions on the World Wide Web are almost commonplace. Businesses are developing Web

pages sometimes just to appear up-to-date.

Special events: These tend to attract attention, and can include, e.g., an open

house, granting a special award, announcing a major program or service or campaign, etc.

Promotional activities through Media

Articles that you write: Is there something in your product about you

having a strong impression? Consider writing an article for the local newspaper or a

magazine. In your article, use the opportunity to describe what you're doing to address

the issue through use of your product. For example we do get good examples of product

based articles in tribune, where sometimes products also compared.

Press kits: This kit is handy when working with the media or training employees about

working with the media. The kit usually includes information about your business,

pictures, information about your products, commentary from happy customers, etc.

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Rural Promotion and Advertising

In country like India, where the 70% of the people live in rural area, the rural market

holds a lot of marketing potential. There is a wide spread difference in the standard of

living between urban and rural India. In order to launch products and develop advertising

for rural market there is a need to understand both the rural context and also the consumer

very well. Promotion of brands in rural markets requires the special measures. Due to the

social and backward condition the personal selling efforts have a challenging role to play

in this regard. The word of mouth is an important message carrier in rural areas. Infact

the opinion leaders are the most influencing part of promotion strategy of rural promotion

efforts. To communicate effectively with rural audiences, it is important to understand the

aspirations, fears and hopes of rural customers, in relation to each product category,

before developing a communication package to deliver the product message. Hence, there

is a strong need to build reassurance and trust about product quality, service support and

company credentials in the minds of rural consumers. This is best done through the face-

to-face 'below the line' touch, feel and talk mode at haats, melas and mandis. Language

and regional behaviour variations should be considered while developing rural

communications strategy. Although the reach of television in rural India is high, frequent

power-cuts restrict viewing time considerably. With the licensing of FM channels to

cover all district headquarters, the power of radio to deliver a localized message in a local

language will soon be available to advertisers as a cost-effective way to reach rural

masses. Rural India has a very high ownership of transistor radios and as these run on

batteries, radio can once again be expected to become a popular medium for reaching

rural masses

One of the most popular and widely accepted Marketing Myth is that the rural consumers

will only buy really cheap mass market brands. But the stark reality is that though brands

like Nirma lead, but penetration of premium products has also been observed even to the

lowest SEC (socio-Economic Classification). The percentages may be very small, but

given the large universe, the actual figures may be significant. Thus when we are aware of

the fact that brands like Nirma, Tiger biscuit, Parchute oil rule the rural market, it

would be interesting to study and analyse their basic marketing inputs.

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For Example

A) Tiger Biscuits: Britannia has entered in to the

rural market by participating in rural melas and

displaying its down market brand Britannia Tiger

Biscuits. These rural melas and weekly haats have

become more popular medium of rural advertising by

the media planners. Apart from stockists and sub-

stockists, Britannia has used traditional haats and

melas to promote the Tiger brand. It has made the

ongoing Kumbh Mela a major promotion and sales outlet. Whenever they come to know of a

major mela or haat, they ensure that their brand is stocked in large quantities. There are

hoarding, which are put up by the company in the rural areas. The hoardings are

mostly put up with complete information regarding the product. The information is given in

the local language in order to let people know about the product. The hoardings also have

the mascot tiger which emphasises a strong healthy individual.

T.V. The various ad campaigns throughout the country are done by preparing a single

advt but the language in which it features is according to the regional language of that

state. The ads include famous personalities like Saurav

Ganguly. The ads mainly focus on the children and

emphasise a strong diet for a healthy mind and body.

School children in rural areas are often given small packs at a

confessional rate and at times they are distributed as free

samples

B) Parachute Oil: With the objective of creating

awareness for Parachute Coconut Oil pouches in towns with

less than 20,000 population in Tamil Nadu, and in order to

convert loose oil buyers into Parachute pouch customers,

Marico Industries launched a van campaign. The communication Strategy focussed on

getting women out of their homes to participate in the van campaign, which was aimed

exclusively for them and for the first time conducted by women. Result - A study by

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Marico showed a 25per cent conversion from loose coconut oil usage to Parachute Pouch

Pack, post van campaign and a substantial increase in sales from the campaign areas.

Promotional Activities in 2009 Hindustan Lever, the fast moving consumer good giant has reduced promotional offers in 2009

as it focused on profitability at a time when volume growth was back.

Hindustan Lever which has launched a slew of offers in year 2008, like the 'buy three, get one

free' offer on the Rs 75 multipack of Lux, which is its second largest selling soap

brand has withdrawn the offer. Lux has a market share of 15.5 per cent in the Rs 7,500

crore soap markets.

HUL has also raised the price of the 400 milligram Clinic Plus shampoo Rs.139 to

Rs.154. Clinic Plus has a market share of over 25 per cent in the Rs.2,500 crore shampoo

market.

HUL has been affected by the volatility in 2008 the most, with the company losing

market share across all its key soap, detergent and oral care categories. So in a bid to get the

volumes back, HUL went in for consumer offers and aggressive advertising. This

move worked, as the company saw a 2 per cent volume growth in the June quarter of

2009 financial year compared to a 4 per cent decline in the previous quarter of the

previous year.

Wipro Consumer Care has revised its consumer offer on Santoor soaps 'Buy 2 and get a

Reynolds pen free' to Rs.1 discount on a soap bar of Rs.18.

It’s not the case that all market players followed the same line, though. For instance, ITC

launched promotional offers for its soap brands in select markets. ITC is offering a 2 +1

scheme on the Superia and Vivel Di Wills soap. It also has a 'buy four and get one free'

offer on its Vivel soap. 70 per cent of the category sales in case of shampoos sachets are

dominated by players like ITC and CavinKare which are running '25 per cent extra'

schemes.

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Buy More Save More

Companies also adopt "buy more to save more" concept to boost sales during the t

slowdown. While price correction is clearly a focus area, fast moving consumer goods

(FMCG) companies like ITC, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL), Emami and

Marico are also building on “tactical” promotions, bundled offers and “buy more to save

more” concepts to beat the current recession.

GCPL’s promotional offers, for instance, include one free cake of soap on purchase of

three, and discounts on purchase of linked packs. According to officials at GCPL

discounts and promotional offers are temporary means to achieve strategic ends, which

could include trial and competitive reaction. Reasons for promotional offers include

rewarding loyal customers, passing on cost savings to consumers and inducing trial.

A few of Emami’s schemes include Emami Pure Skin worth Rs 22 free with Boroplus

Advanced Moisturising Lotion worth Rs 98; five pieces of Sardija Cough drops worth Rs

5 free with 100 ml of Sardija Cough Syrup worth Rs 50, among others.

In many ways, discount is a starting point as it helps create buzz and excitement and

ensures higher sales. Consumers might curtail consumption of high-end products but not

‘mass’ products. During trying times, ‘save more when you buy more’ strategy always

work.

ITC is offering Vivel Di Wills shampoo (200 ml) free with its 75 gm bathing soap for Rs

89. ITC brands are new hence marketing efforts are geared towards enhancing consumer

engagement and trial. The consumer response to brands, Fiama Di Wills, Vivel and

Superia, has so far been excellent says official at ITC

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HLL (Hindustan Lever Limited) now HUL

(Hindustan Unilever Limited)

Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company.

It is a leading player in home and personal care products, foods and beverages, and

speciality chemicals.

The product portfolio

with its wide range of

products sets HLL

apart! It has achieved

market leadership in

soaps and detergents

(Surf) as well as hair

and skin care products

(Sun Silk, Dove,

Hamam). It is the

second largest

s also market leader in

tea (Taj), processed coffee (Bru), ice cream (Kwality-Walls), tomato-based products

(Kissan), jams and squashes (Kissan), and branded staples (Kissan Annapurna). With a

plethora of brands, Communication becomes imperative.

Every company has to communicate the presence of its products to capture a large market

share. How does a company do that? There are many tools that a marketer can use:

advertising, hoardings, radio, television and internet ads! What’s missing is the freebie! Is sales

promotion only made up of ‘atta free with soap’? This is how HLL used sales

promotion programmes to build its brands.

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1. Consider this: When Dove was launched in the market, people had a certain

reservation against the product. Why?

There were two reasons:

a. Price factor. Most housewives found Dove to be pretty steep and thus consumption was

restrained.

b. Secondly, the rumours of one of its ingredients being animal fat.

HLL began a sales promotion campaign: Get Dove soap free with a kilo of Surf Excel.

With this promotion tactic, HLL got the opportunity of converting “non-users” of Dove to

users. At the same time changing attitudes of other detergent users by converting them to Surf

users.

2. On the other hand, HLL sought to increase usage of Close-Up amongst the target

audience by introducing the travel tube, initially giving it free with every 200gm pack of

toothpaste bought.

3. When attacked by Cavincare of Fairever fame, HLL adopted a defensive strategy by

giving awayone more Fair and Lovely free with every purchase of it(BOGOF). This is

one of the many ways by which a marketer can piggyback on the brand’s standing in the

market

Repositioning and Repromoting Organics

When Organics was first launched on the platform of “root nourishing “ shampoo,

consumers were sceptical towards the positioning. No one wanted to spend thirty six

percent extra when compared to Pantene. Consumers were happy using coconut oil to

strengthen the roots. What did Levers do to push the product? 'Buy one get one

free'(BOGOF) on every small pack of Organics. The surprising aspect is that this

promotion failed to work for Levers.

The next step that HLL took was of repositioning Organics. They found out that the

common problem in India was hair breakage. Glucosil was added to the product for

healthy hair and the product was now revamped on the grounds of beautiful and healthy

hair.

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Where promotion was concerned, HLL used an entirely new outlet - bookstores! Contests were

conducted there and the winners were given Organics hampers. This exercise helped a

lot in brand recall thereby placing Organics on the map of the consumers’ mind. That’s the

power of sales promotions in building a brand!

GCPL (Godrej Consumer private Ltd)

With the new strategy of tapping the middle and lower ends of the market, Godrej

expects the Godrej brand name to work for him. In the low income housing market,

known for fly-by-night builders, the Godrej name will be leveraged more. With all this is

mind, Godrej launched the group_s first ever ad campaign for the Godrej brand rather than

for its individual brands such as Cinthol soap or Godrej Hair Dye.

Aimed at packaging the brand for younger consumers, the campaign showcased the

group_s products for the space programme, and included sponsorship of the Indian

Premier League and a show created to promote the Godrej products range, called Godrej

Khelo Jeeto Jiyo. Godrej says the group will continue to build on branding. Group

companies have used the campaign to target their individual advertising better. For

instance, Godrej Consumer now buys ads more on Doordarshan because the brand

campaign takes care of cable television. It means Godrej Consumer has an advertising

budget lower than most competitors.

Segment - ORAL CARE

Practically all of rural India prefers cleaning their teeth with traditional products such as

neem twigs, salt, ash, tobacco or other herbal ingredients, contributing to a low per-

capita consumption of branded oral care products. According to WHO, India’s overall

awareness of oral hygiene is still very poor. The dentist- to-population ratio is 1:35,000 in

comparison to 1:7,500 as recommended by the WHO. But with burgeoning middle class

and multi- pronged advertising campaigns, there is now a latent demand for the

formal

oral care products and this is set to rise exponentially in the coming years. Growth is also

likely to emanate from consumers ‘upgrading’ to matured, value-added and innovative

products in this category. Of late, growth of modern trade has also propelled brand sales,

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especially in the urban markets. Overall, the oral care sector is mainly represented by

toothpaste. Other products include mouthwashes, sprays, teeth whiteners and oral

rinses. In India, there is also significant usage of toothpowders, especially in semi-urban

and rural areas.

In India, toothpowder was primarily targeted at people who used traditional products like

salt, neem twigs and other herbal products. Brands like Colgate, Dabur, Babool, Vicco are

the prominent players in the toothpowder market in India

Major players in the oral care market are Colgate Palmolive India Pvt. Ltd. (CPIL);

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) and Dabur India Ltd. brand loyalty is quite high for

toothpaste where CPIL and HUL together account for over two-thirds of the branded

toothpaste market. In toothpowders, CPIL, which manufactures white toothpowder, and

Dabur India Ltd., which manufacture red toothpowder, are the leading players, sharing

three-fourths of the branded toothpowder segment. In rural areas, red and black

toothpowders continue to be very popular, with the market being led by local manufacturers.

Among smaller, but fast growing companies in the oral care segment are Ajanta India

Ltd., Vicco Group of Companies, The himalaya Drug Company, Anchor

health & Beauty Pvt. Ltd. and Henkel India Ltd.

The oral care market in India is divided into three main segments -- economy, popular or

regular and premium. The brands from CPIL, HUL, Dabur India Ltd., are more popular in

metros and major cities, while smaller and regional brands such as Anchor, ColgateCibaca

and Ajanta have a stronghold in the smaller cities.

In recent years oral care in India has been greatly driven by product innovation, widening

of retail availability, packaging and sustained brand promotions. For a new brand to

grow and gain market share, strong brand promotion in a specific category

has been

the chosen marketing strategy. For instance, if a product is made especially for

night

brushing, the marketing strategy would typically build a story around this usage. Over the

years, such focused advertising (sometimes using popular brand ambassadors and

television programme sponsorships) have helped many brands to connect swiftly with the

target audience.

For instance, HUL tried to increase its share in the Indian oral care market through the

launch of Pepsodent, and campaigning with a message that communicated to

kids and

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their parents the importance of protection from germs through the night.

As a value addition, the next stage of the campaign was focused on ‘Germ

Indicator’, which was included in every Pepsodent pack allowing consumers to

see the efficacy in fighting germs for themselves. Following that, Pepsodent offered dental

insurance to all its consumers to demonstrate the confidence that the company

had in the technical superiority of the product. The re- launch of the

campaign widened the context towards the adverse effects of “sweet and sticky”

food and leveraged the fact that children do not rinse their mouths every time they eat,

thereby reinforcing the power of Pepsodent in fighting germs for themselves.

Close up on the other hand was positioned as a youth oral care brand from the very

beginning. In 2004, the brand was re-launched with a publicity blitz that

communicated virtues of a ‘Vitamin Fluoride system’ present in the product

-- a powerful mix of vitamins, fluoride, mouthwash and micro-whiteners, for fresher breath

and stronger, whiter teeth. Clearly, HUL derived critical mass growth from having two

brands targeting two different sections of consumers - Pepsodent as a family brand

and Close Up as a youth product.

When Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited (CPIL) launched its advanced

Whitening toothpaste in 2005, it roped in Sonali Kulkarni of ‘Dil Chahta hai’

fame, looking at further strengthening the expansion of its whitening variant amongst the

youth.

The brand Colgate herbal White was also launched communicating the message of

‘pearly white teeth’ with an attractive packaging in green, white, red and blue. The

advertising campaigns through television commercials used the beaver ‘gillu’

as a mascot of the product.

Dabur India Ltd. launched Dabur Red toothpaste with the brand association of

Star

Plus channel by sponsoring one of its programmes, ‘Star Parivaar awards’ for two


consecutive years in 2003 and 2004.

Anchor White, the toothpaste brand from anchor health and Beauty care Pvt. Ltd., has

been extensively promoted as a ‘family product’ with Bollywood actor Kajol along

with her daughter targeting the price-sensitive middle-class segment through its

convenient packs and price points.

While toothpaste advertising has by and large used the traditional images and

characteristics of family values, the use

of humor and imagination has

also

been highly effective in generating

brand recall for new- age oral care

products. Perfetti Van Melle’s very

popular ‘happydent White Palace’

advertisement is a case in point.

Conceptualized by Prasoon Joshi and

McCann Erickson, the ad

communicates dental hygiene as a

fun activity by making it interesting rather than therapeutic. Given it in-

innovative

departure from the norm, the commercial has clearly broken through the clutter by

positioning happydent as not only a children’s confectionery but a

functional product that gives healthy and white teeth.

But the story is not all urban. Rural India may well be a

sleeping giant; already there are signs of rural Indians

shifting from traditional dental care products to brands --

especially the herbal variants -- at popular price points.

Burman from Dabur explains that growth in hitherto

untapped regions will be greatly driven by affordability.

““We have observed the growing demand for

economically priced herbal toothpastes in rural markets.

Therefore, Babool is well placed to benefit from this

growing demand, and has been the fastest growing

toothpaste brand for three years in running.”

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R


An appropriate product with an effective communication strategy can drive the growth

further in the rural markets,” he adds.

As of now, manufacturers’ and marketers’ efforts have focused on enhancing penetration

-- bringing new users into the toothpaste segment - by strengthening their presence in the

economy segment. Both CPIL and HUK have concentrated on building their rural

distribution networks by rolling out smaller units of toothpastes at affordable

prices,

and have also launched nationwide community dental health programmes

and

informative commercials on dental hygiene in association with dental associations.

The

companies have also been using channels such as e-choupals and Disha to further reach

the rural population.

Dabur has also been participating in rural community practices, besides organizing

special oral care clinics with school children to propagate the advantages of brushing

which have helped them drive deeper into the market.

ecently, Colgate launched a creative

billboard campaign for its toothpaste

brand, MaxFresh, where the toothpaste's

cooling crystals appeared to be popping out

of the hoardings. The idea of the campaign

was to communicate the product superiority

of MaxFresh - to emphasize that it contains

cooling crystals in abundance, and to

highlight the fact that while other gel

toothpastes freshen breath, only Colgate

MaxFresh has cooling crystals that are more

effective than regular gels. While the product is not new, the company built interest by

adding a short code to the creative. The objective was to call people to action. The ad

says, 'SMS MaxFresh to 57007 for a free sample.


Here are few strtegies adopted by Colgate max fresh:

Colgate Max Fresh Gel- first toothpaste infused with cooling crystals that create

whole new dimension of freshness.

Saif Ali Khan and Asin are the celebrity brand ambassadors.

For the launch of this new gel, interactive media was of foremost importance given

the core target audience of young adults.

The USP - cooling crystals - had to be highlighted in all communication.

Campaign on:

Online: Reaching consumer across various sites.

Mobile: Downloads for consumers

Extensive online media plan

Innovations and large sized banners across portals

PPC (SEM): a customized search marketing campaign on Google

Keywords ranging from Valentine’s (topical) to Ipods (prizes) to Saif Ali

Khan(brand ambassador) carried the maxfreshclub message & drove traffic to the

site.

Content Sites across genres - Cricket, Movies, Business, News

Google partner sites related to bollywood/ greetings/ jokes/ mobile fun were also

part of the campaign - all building on the premise of contextual relevance.

All banners directed traffic to www.media2win.com/maxfresh

Mobile integration enabled consumers to not only download ringtones &

wallpapers but also play interesting games & get a ‘Fresh Joke of the day’ by smsing

MaxFresh to 58558.

Innovative rich media banners across leading sites to ensure high frequency

Rediff

Yahoo

Indiatimes

MSN

Sify

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Sponsorships/ Interactive Properties on select sites

Special sites like Galatta.com (for the south film-crazy audience) were included since

the brand ambassador for the southern audience is Asin, a Tamil movie star.

All Asin related content on Galatta was branded by MaxFresh & Galatta users got to

meet Asin as part of the online promo.

Innovative units such as the browser branding on Yahoo India ensured that the

campaign has high impact.

This innovation re-skins the browser bar with MaxFresh brand colors and message -

delivering cut through visibility.

In addition to this, rich media creative was used wherever possible to maintain

impact.

Phase 2 of the campaign focused on specific games on the site to ensure visitors keep

coming back

Microsite:www.media2win.com/maxfresh

The micro site had a range of games, wallpapers, screensavers, viral ideas

product info & a specially created dimension test - all based on the brand proposition of

cooling crystals & the 2 flavours, spicy fresh & peppermint ice.

The music on the homepage was composed only for the site.

The launch of the site, timed with Valentine’s Day, promoted the viral & topical ‘Max

Muuaah’ by which a user could send an e-kiss. .

Crystal Quest’ & Crystal Challenge’ required users to collect or spot the crystals in the

game - in sync with the fun, energetic feel of the site.

The downloads drew on the brand ambassadors Saif & Asin.

Results

Over 1 lakh unique users to the site.

Average time spent 9 minutes.

Over 25 million impressions served through the online campaign.

Generated 140,000 clicks.

Innovations- browser branding worked well with 1.5% CTR.

Downloads from the site close to 8000.

20


Trial pack campaign

Conscious about your Teeth? Then get a free trial pack and free oral dental advice from

colgate.

Colgate is a famous toothpaste company. It is giving free trial pack and free oral dental

advice. To get the free trial pack, you need to fill a form which includes your personal

information, contact details and other information. In personal details, you need to submit

your name, email ID and occupation. In contact details, you need to submit your address,

city, pincode, area, state, landline number and mobile number. Other information

includes the questions like How did you come to know about this offer/promotion and

Currently used Toothpaste Brands.

COLGATE'S BRIGHT SMILES, BRIGHT FUTURES

The Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Oral Health Educational Program worldwide

was developed to teach children positive oral health habits of basic hygiene, diet and

physical activity. This Program also encourages dental professionals, public health

officials, civic leaders and most importantly, parents and educators to come together to

emphasize the importance of oral health as part of a child's overall physical and

emotional development.

Under this Program conducted by Colgate-Palmolive, India children in primary schools

receive instructions in dental care from members of the dental profession nominated by

the Indian Dental Association. Education is imparted with the aid of audio-visuals and

printed literature created by the company. Free dental health care packs, including

samples, are also distributed by the company to encourage the practice of oral hygiene.

Teachers Training Program is an integral part of the School Dental Health Program,

conducted regularly across the country to promote preventive dental health care.Colgate

21


also has launched its first-ever online school curriculum featuring fun and entertaining

activitie

Super Saver Offer for 'All

Around Decay Protection'.

Buy 200g plus a 100g

tube with a Colgate Extra

Clean Toothbrush in a

Family Value Pack for Rs.

82/-. Save Rs. 18/-.

Colgate Maxfresh Gel is

the first toothpaste

infused with cooling

crystals giving you a

whole new dimension of

freshness. Get a 150g

plus a 80g tube with a

Colgate Extra Clean

Toothbrush in a Freshness

Value Pack for Rs. 79/-.

Save Rs. 20/-.

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R


Toiletries Soaps and Shampoos

The toilet soaps market is estimated at 530,000 turnover per annuum including small

imports. The market is littered over with several, leading national and global brands and a large

number of small brands, which have limited markets. The popular and premium brands

include Lifebuoy, Lux, Cinthol, Liril, Rexona, and Nirma.

Soaps form the largest pie of the FMCG Market with bathing & toilet soaps accounting for

around 30% of the soap market, by value. Currently, the soap industry is divided into three

segments namely Premium, Popular and Economy/ Sub popular

To fight competition, major players Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Godrej Consumer

Products Ltd (GCPL) and Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting are now drawing up fresh

game plans. And the accent is clearly on innovation to gain mind share as well as market share

in this overcrowded category.

emember the ‘Is it love? No it’s Dove’ ads? In the

1990s, when everything had to be low priced,

consumer goods major Hindustan Unilever launched a

brand of soap that was considered expensive, frightfully

expensive , for the times we lived in. For about Rs 30 for a bar, it was nearly twice as

expensive as any toilet soap brand that was then sold in India. This was a time when

hanging out for coffee was at the neighbourhood Udupi restaurant that charged Rs 6 for a

serving and not the Barista where a mug of coffee cost Rs 50. To get consumers living with

that mindset to graduate to a brand like Dove was a big leap.

Certainly the well-traveled Indian consumer who had seen and touched the brand abroad

were the first set that moved towards the brand for its superior and “gentle on skin”

properties. Others who sampled the brand had mixed opinions. Occasionally you heard

the sob story from a neighbour on how a Dove bar got over in just four days, when the Rs

10 soap lasted for a month, giving rise to rather unkind remarks that Dove was 1⁄4

moisturiser and 3⁄4 love. This set of consumers used the bar for washing the face while a

less costly soap would be used for the rest of the body, a value-for-money approach.

From those use-for-special occasion days, Dove has come a long way. HUL executives

23


claim that Dove has grown by 100% in shampoos and

23 by 42% in soaps. “Dove is the largest premium brand in the Hindustan Unilever

portfolio,” says Rajaram Narayanan, vice president, hair care and Lakme, HUL. Now the

Dove portfolio delivers Rs 500 crore in sales.

Real Women Face Test

The faces that represent the Rs 500 crore premium brand are of ordinary women.

The faces that represent Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) biggest premium soap brand are not

familiar. For, they represent 11 ordinary women who won Dove’s Real Women Face Test - a

campaign that received over 4,500 entries.

Recently the fast moving consumer goods major put all of them on billboards,

newspapers and on television to endorse the Rs 500 crore brand in a high voltage

advertisement campaign.

That’s Dove’s way of going off the beaten track in its communication strategy. Unlike

other soap advertisements, the premium brand did not use the usual models or movie

stars. Instead, it got real women who use the product to give testimonials of their

experience with the brand.

In May 2007, HUL launched Dove shampoo from Unilever’s portfolio.

For Dove’s hair wash variant too, HUL initiated huge sampling in malls by setting up

counters where consumers could get their hair washed and then photographed. These

pictures were showcased in the Dove Gallery. As a result, testimonials were not just on TV,

but also online through consumer-generated content and in print.

The same year, the company also launched shampoo sachets priced at 50 paise each in an

effort to increase penetration and usage of the product in rural and poor households Until these

launches HUL’s presence in shampoos has largely been restricted to so-called midpriced

shampoos with its Clinic and Sunsilk brands and their variants. The changes seem to have

worked for the company. According to research firm AC Nielsen, HUL’s share in the haircare

business went up by one percentage point from 47% in the first quarter of 2007 to 48% in

the December quarter. In comparison, its nearest rival Procter and Gamble’s (P&G) share

fell from 25% to 23.3%.

Dove is a classic case of consistency especially in a country like India where people have

24

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come of age in terms of affluence. The soap’s advertisements are very timely. Sales of the

soap have been growing at over 40 per cent annually and the recently launched

shampoo variant at 100 per cent. Dove is now almost a Rs 500 crore brand, with soaps

accounting for around half of that figure. The rest comes from hair care, a category

launched two years ago.

hen we talk about HUL the first name that comes to

our mind is Lifebuoy. It is the world’s largest selling

soap and offers a stronger health benefit to the entire family.

Launched in the year 1895, Lifebuoy, for over a 100 years,

has been synonymous with health and value. The brick red

soap, with its perfume and popular Lifebuoy jingle have carried the Lifebuoy message of

health across the length and breadth of the country, making it the largest selling soap

brand in the world.

Lifebuoy contributed 30 per cent to the Hindustan Lever detergent business

turnover and hadn't undergone a major restructuring and repositioning in 107 years.

However, the sales were declining as the consumers were moving away from

the carbolic based soaps to beauty soaps - perceived to be superior; with

better fragrance and lather;

aspirational image.

The agency devised a strategy to ensure that it advocated family health

rather than

personal hygiene. There were large chunks of the users who were in

"unreachable

areas" - rural markets. Through TV and print campaigns, the agency team focused

attention on the family health themes, conducted consumer education exercise

using

"Germ tests" through multimedia; and established the brand's credentials as an

authority in a credible manner. The agency also explored the communication options

during important days such as World Health Day. For rural markets, it created

the

Lifebuoy Swashthya Chetana project wherein 450 teams of health

officers tapped

8000 villages in 11 states. Nearly 40 million people in rural areas were

covered. The

25


brand registered a 30 per cent increase in volumes and the share of

contribution to HLL's detergent division turnover increased to 55 per cent.

HLL used Mahakumbh mela as an opportunity to change hand-washing and bathing

habits in rural India. "The Mahakumbh” at Allahabad is the biggest mela in India and, with

its focus on `cleansing' is a good fit for the health

Promotion in Melas

Lifebuoy for health' message of the brand". Innovative communication

tools were used at the mela to communicate the importance of health and hygiene.

“The company 14 stalls at various points in the mela grounds.

Some hand-carts have also been deployed for increasing access. The numbers

of both was increased based on response. ``The activity aims to build awareness in the

target audience about hygiene and health through product demonstrations". People in

Mela were asked to put there hands below some special camera where the 7 year could see

the germs on their hands and were asked to wash their hands with lifebuoy and then see the

difference. These type of promotional activities worked in these melas.

Swine flu campaign

Flu fighter -The flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, has caused several deaths across the

country and has spread panic in households. Schools have been shut in cities across India,

while hospitals are struggling to cope with the rush of patients. Its largest victims are

children who don’t have a strong immune system. Brand consultants and experts feel this will

give the brand the much-needed boost.

Hindustan Unilever’s latest salvo is its new communication centred around swine flu. The

“public interest advertisement” opens with the image of a mother washing her child’s hand. An

informative voiceover follows about the importance of washing hands before eating, after

sneezing, shaking hands or touching shared surfaces which can help prevent swine flu. A print

campaign was also launched.

Hindustan Unilever, or HUL, India’s largest consumer goods company by sales, is

plugging Lifebuoy soaps and hand washes in newspaper advertisements as products

26


“proven to protect from H1N1 type virus”. “Wash away swine flu germs,” goes the tag

line on advertisements running across media platforms, including television and print.

Lifebuoy sales seem to have won a lift as consumers take precautions to guard against the

risk of swine flu, which claimed its first life in India in August when a Pune teenager died

after being infected. “The ads are all over the media and it has definitely created an

impact.

Hindustan Unilever, on its part, plays it down and maintains that it has always kept the

health proposition in mind. “The current advertising campaign is an extension of our

effort to use mass media to effectively communicate to people at large to increase

hygiene awareness to combat this health threat,” says a company spokesperson.

Way back in 1985, Lifebuoy’s entry into the Indian market coincided with the outbreak

of the plague epidemic. That’s when Lifebuoy became a household name in the country.

“Lifebuoy hai jahan, tandroosti hai wahan”, (Where you have lifebuoy, you have

good

health) ran the long-playing jingle. Some time in 2002, Hindustan Unilever came up with

a health and hygiene programme called the Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna (Lifebuoy Health

Awareness) in media-dark villages to spread awareness about the importance of washing

hands with soap. Through this initiative, Hindustan Unilever has spread itself across

53,000 villages reaching out to as many as 120 million Indians. The insight here was that

regular usage of soap helps reduce illnesses like diarrhoea, respiratory infection, eye

infection and so in children. This was underscored by the fact that diarrhoea is a major

cause of death in the world today. It is estimated that diarrhoea claims the life of a child

every 10 seconds and one-third of these deaths occur in India.A year back, Lifebouy

came out in aid of the victims of the Kosi floods in Bihar and Aila cyclone in West

Bengal. Therefore, the swine flu initiative was a natural extension for HUL as a brand.

Lifebuoy took on the responsibility to raise awareness about swine flu and how it can be

prevented as a social cause campaign to reduce the risk of infection.

Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna Campaign

The Company has continuously designed innovative promotions to reach the rural

markets. Lifebuoy in its rural contact program called “Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna”,

where it spread information on how washing hands can keep diseases away, targeted a


population of 5 crores in 15000 villages. It also promotes general hygiene in rural areas that

are difficult to reach through usual marketing campaigns such as television, press or in-

store advertising and promotions. It applied a 2 prong approach.

HUL employed Health Development Officers and Health Development Assistants who

went to all the villages and educated the community through lectures

and community meetings.

They returned to the villages after 2 months, offered toys, badges and medals to children

who had made it a habit to wash hands regularly (read saved

“Lifebuoy” soap wrappers) and a certificate to the children who had won these badges most

often.

The campaign has three communication tasks:

To establish the presence of germs, even on clean hands, through the use of a 'glow

germ demo kit' that has been developed by Unilever for use in Lifebuoy Swasthya

Chetna. The simple and powerful tool makes unseen germs visible.

To establish the consequences of these hidden germs, which when ingested, can

cause stomach infections and diarrhoea, or be transferred to eyes causing painful eye

infections, or infecting wounds.

To establish how current practice is not enough to fight these germs by using the

glow germ demo kit to demonstrate that washing with water is not enough, and that it

is necessary to wash hands with soap for germ protection.

Tools used to communicate the central Swasthya Chetna message are adapted according to

the specific audience.

Lifebuoy teams visit each village several times, engaging all segments of the community

and ensuring the formation of local 'self-help communities' that can sustain the message.

School children, being initiators of change, make excellent ambassadors of

communication, provided they find it fun and engaging. The element of Lifebuoy

Swasthya Chetna that involves children focuses on fun, using stories, games, songs and

quizzes. Efforts are made to ensure that the learning does not fade over time.

Additionally, these visits also include a meeting with the Panchayat (village

elders).Covering 130 million people in 30,000 villages since 2002, the Lifebuoy

Swasthya Chetna programme has made its mark as the single largest private hygiene

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education project in the world. The Swasthya Chetna programme will be re-launched in

2009, and will cover even more villages in India as part of the Lifebuoy brand's crusade.

Banaye Healthy

Hindustan Campaign

Lifebuoy conducted a 17

state capital survey among

mothers to understand the

perception and satisfaction

levels of the overall health

of their children and the

important factors that

influence them. The

findings of the health report led to 'Banaye Healthy Hindustan' signature campaign which

was launched on the occasion of World Health Day. Hundreds of school children

between six and twelve years gathered at two of India's historic monuments, India Gate,

Delhi and Gateway of India, Mumbai and signed an appeal to health experts and

authorities to take care of their health concerns. Lifebuoy also launched a health rally in

Chennai, Hyderabad & Jalandhar to generate awareness about the latest threat - swine

flu.

ettol celebrated its 75 years of existence in 2008. This highly

popular antiseptic brand has come a long way since 1933.

After a plethora of extensions and experiments, this brand is still

ruling the Indian market as the most preferred antiseptic lotion and

also as a premium soap.

The brand celebrated its 75 years by reinforcing the germ killing positioning and the

tagline " Be 100% sure ". The brand is currently running a campaign highlighting the

efficiency and the multi-uses of the product.

In marketing theory , it is taught that one of the strategy for a brand which has reached

29

Promotional Strategies of different FMCG brands in India

the maturity stage of PLC is to find new uses for the product. The Dettol brand is

currently in the process of discovering those new uses for the product. When the

consumer uses the product for different purposes, the sales naturally increases.

The best way to find the new uses for the product is to ask the consumers. Dettol did just

that. It ran a series of promotions asking consumers to tell the company , how they used

Dettol.

The brand asked the consumers to contact them and tell the company on the multiple uses

of the product and thus gained lot of insights into the various uses of the brand.

The brand later came out with a series of campaign highlighting the various uses of this

antiseptic. Dettol now taken the platform of a multi-use antiseptic which can be used

during bath, to clean wounds, to sterilize clothes, floor etc.

Although homemakers has been using Dettol for all these, the company has now taken

these uses as a part of the core product. The brand is trying to break the image of Dettol as

an antiseptic which is used for cleaning wounds.

Along with this initiative, the brand also reinforced its commitment towards hygiene. The

brand has selected hygiene as the core brand value and theme which it will fight for.

Unveiling new campaigns and public awareness rallies, FMCG majors such as Dabur,

Reckitt Benckiser and Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) are trying their best to

communicate what their respective brands can do to prevent the spread of the virus. Apart from

Dabur’s campaign, HUL and Reckitt have been enhancing the ‘health-oriented’ equity of

their flagship brands such as Dettol and Lifebuoy to target consumers. Meanwhile,

soap and hand wash brands such as Lifebuoy and Dettol have also been doing their bit to

create new communication about swine flu. For instance, Reckitt’s Dettol brand has

decided to support the Global Hygiene Council to conduct doctors’ conferences on

swine flu prevention. So far over 1,000 doctors have attended these sessions. The plan

is to reach out to doctors in all key cities in the country to raise awareness on prevention

measures and readiness.

The company has used print, television and online mediums to educate consumers about

hygiene and its importance in its brand campaigns. Recently, its Swine Flu campaign

guided consumers about the precautions which are required to fight the deadlyinfluenza.

Sethi also informs about an H1N1 Flu (Swine) digital campaign of Dettol, which

30

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positions itself as 'Dettol kills 99.9 % bacteria and Flu viruses' and educates the

consumers about the disease.

The digital campaign seems to be an endeavour by Reckitt Benckiser to leverage the

rising number of searches on Swine Flu, to awareness on how Dettol can help people

maintain personal hygiene. As a result The market share of Dettol increased from 6.4 per

cent in June 2008 to 8.1 per cent in June 2009, placing it ahead of Wipro's beauty soap

Santoor as the country's third-largest soap brand by value.

Promotional offer

Dettol Fresh range has been introduced in Bar soaps and Liquid handwash. The bar soaps

are priced at Rs. 18/- and Rs. 29/- for 70gm and 120gm respectively. The liquid

handwash will be available in three sizes - 250ml pump at Rs. 55/-, 185ml pouch at Rs. 30/-

and 900ml refill pack at Rs. 135/- The pricing is at par with the existing portfolio of Dettol

soaps and liquid handwash.

As part of an introductory offer, a discount of Rs. 2/- and Rs. 4/- is being offered on

70gm and 120gm soap bars respectively. This offer was valid during the month of

February and March 2009.

antoor, India's third-highest selling

soap brand, and South India's second

biggest soap brand has been built

assiduously with advertising that has

presented the Santoor Woman in a 'mistaken

identity' situation. The campaign, which is

in its 20th year, keeps getting refreshed

every two years. Women want their skin to

lie about their age. The image managers of Santoor, which has become the largest selling

soap brand in South India, has made that the main selling point of their promotion

campaign over the years. Previously in tune with the mood of the country Santoor came

out with a film that shows the Santoor woman entering a voting booth, to cast her vote,

31


only to be stopped for 'age proof'. Again a new interpretation of the mistaken identity

theme.

Ageless skin campaign

Over the years pricing obviously played a crucial part. Santoor was originally launched in

1985 as an ordinary soap with sandalwood and turmeric being its main ingredients.

Though Moti and Mysore Sandal soap were the other brands which had sandal as main

ingredient, they were available for a premium. Wipro tried to position the soap in the

skincare segment at a popular pricing. However, when the company realised that by

banking on ingredients may not bring good results for long, it decided to reposition the

brand from being ingredient-oriented to benefit-oriented on a platform of ‘younger

looking skin’. The theme of ‘ageless skin’, captured first in a TV advertisement 20 years

back, has remained constant over the years. And the company intends to keep it that way as

long as it’s bringing the right results.

“While the theme has remained constant, the Santoor woman has evolved. In the first two

years, the Santoor woman was at a wedding ceremony; she was buying bangles; she was

buying a book etc. After that she began going to aerobics classes, and then after four-five

years we took her to do dress designing. Interestingly Santoor had come out with a

cricket film in time for the World Cup.

As a result of the campaign women see themselves in every single Santoor soap ad. That may

not be an exaggeration as women are surely buying the soap in large numbers. In the first

quarter of the last fiscal, Santoor became the largest brand in its category in South India in

value market share, though the company has just 7.5 per cent share in the Indian personal

care soap market worth around Rs 8,000 crore.

In other markets, Santoor has gradually begun to garner market share. In Maharashtra, it

is number three in terms of value though the brand is almost neck-and-neck with

Lifebuoy in rural Maharashtra, with a market share of 22.7 per cent (Lifebuoy is at 22.9

per cent).

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hile FMCG (fast moving consumer

goods) products usually take off in the

urban centres, and then spread through the hub

format, Medimix was pitched in the villages

first. The only alternative to medimix was

Chandrika soap, which had adopted a direct

marketing approach. Officials at medimix used

to attend numerous village melas and talk to the people. Today, of the three lakh tonnes

of soap sold, ayurvedic soap comprises 7 percent, of which medimix has 3 per cent.

Medimix is a medicated soap that is 100 per cent handmade is exempt from tax and rural

consumers seem to be attracted to the medical qualities of the soap far more than they are

to the same qualities in a cosmetic Today when a villager visits a city he asks for

Medimix soap by name. No offers, no schemes, no inducements. As Chandrika soap was

following the monopoly of direct distribution. Medimix decided to woo the stockiest and

distributors and claims there are 25-year-old loyalties here. "From 1969 to 1990 growth

was slow 'But when S. Pradeep joined the company as managing director the firm took

off in just four years."

A firm decisions were taken that Medimix would aggressively market to over 3,000 small

hotels all over India, even in small towns. Its a pleasantly surprised to find that even

foreign tourists to places such as Pondicherry were impressed by the medicated quality of

Medimix. Medimi decided not to compromise on the packaging or appearance or the

perfume or colour of the soap to gain entry into five-star hotels. Hotels will never buy at the

maximum retail price (MRP), so they supply at cost.

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he great Indian brand wagon started nearly four decades

ago. Great brands sometimes outlast their ambassadors as

proven by Lux which celebrated its 75th anniversary in India.

Lux campaigns have wooed millions of people over the decades.

Popularly known as the beauty soap of film stars, Lux has been

an intimate partner of the brightest stars on the silver screen for decades. An ode to their

beauty, an announcer of their stardom, advertising campaigns on Lux have featured film

stars across the nation, promising their beauty and

complexion to ordinary women.

With top movie stars - from Madhubala to

Madhuri, from Babita to Karisma and Kareena

having endorsed the goodness of Lux over

generations, it was natural that the brand has built

equity as the best beauty soap in India.

From the beginning Lux, by using a leading film

star of the time, has fulfilled the consumers’

aspirations of using beauty soaps via the rationale

‘if it’s good enough for a film star, it’s good for

me. This later moved into a transformation role of

having a bath with Lux, which transports the user

into a fantasy world of icons, film stars and fairy lands.

The first ambassador, Leela Chitnis featured in a Lux advertisement which flagged off the

Lux wagon. She gave way to a galaxy of stars which includes Madhubala, Nargis, Meena

Kumari, Mala Sinha, Sharmila Tagore, Waheeda Rehman, Saira Banu, Hema Malini,

Zeenat Amaan, Juhi Chawla, Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor.

The last frontier for most actors aspiring to stardom is becoming a Lux ambassador.

The brand has outlasted many soaps. From the beginning, Lux became a household name

across the country

34


Change in communication strategy

However, the communication was slowly seen to be losing relevance, as consumers were

beginning to question if the film star actually used the brand.

In addition to this, several competitive beauty soap brands had begun advertising using

similar methods of communication. In this context, the global brand team for Lux

developed a new communication strategy. This strategy - bring out the star in you - for

the first time moved the brand away from the long-running film star route. The film star

still features in the new communication but not as her gorgeous self but rather as an alter

ego/projection of the protagonist (a regular girl), for a few seconds of the entire ad.

Thus, for the first time the film star was used as a communication device and not as the

main feature of

the ad. The

move away

from the film

star and her

fantasy world to

a regular Lux

user, with the

focus on the

protagonist’s

star quality, is a

change from the norms set by Lux advertising in the past. With the new communication

strategy, the film star is used purely as a communication device to portray star quality in

every Lux user. This can be significantly seen in the latest TV commercial of Lux Crystal

Shine where Priyanka Chopra is portrayed as a normal woman.

This idea - bring out the star in you - puts the consumer at the heart of the brands’

promise. This promise goes beyond the functional deliverables of soap, beyond bathing and

the bathroom to the world outside. It’s a world where with Lux on her side, an ordinary

woman can impact her world with her own star quality. This is a successful attempt to

bring the brand closer to its users and to give it a more youthful and contemporary

image.

35


Prominent Sales Promotion Schemes Used By LUX

Lux presented 30 gm gold each to the first three winners of the Lux Gold Star offer from

Delhi. According to the promotional offer that Lux unveiled in October 2000, a consumer

finding a 22-carat gold coin in his or her soap bar got an opportunity to win an additional

30 gm gold. The first 10 callers every week got a 30 gm gold each.

The offer could be availed only on 100 gm and 150 gm packs of Lux soap.

Lux Star Bano, Aish Karo contest: All one needed to do was buy a special promotional pack

of Lux soap. The pack comes with a special scratch card. The 50 lucky winners and their

spouses were flown down to Mumbai to live a day like Aishwarya Rai would. They could

also be given gift vouchers worth Rs 50,000 from Shoppers' Stop along with an exclusively

designed Neeta Lulla sari and a beauty makeover by Michelle Tung, Aishwarya's

preferred designer and stylist. The pièce de résistance was a dinner date with Aishwarya Rai

herself.

Lux celebrated 75 years of stardom with the Har Star Lucky Star activity.

All wrappers of Lux had a star printed inside them. If the consumer found written inside the

star, any number from “1” to “5”, she would get an equivalent discount (in rupees) on her

purchase from her shopkeeper. If the consumer found “75 years” written inside the star, she

will get a year’s supply of Lux free.

LUX PR Activities

Press relations:

Lux has been maintaining constant

communicating with its customers

and potential customers, of the

various developments taking place

in the brand by using press

relations.

Events:

Lux celebrated 75 years of

existence in a grand way by

unveiling Shahrukh Khan as their

36

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latest brand ambassador. Kareena Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Sridevi and Hema Malini graced

the event and made it special. All the stars have endorsed Lux in the past. The event was

held at the grand Intercontinental in Mumbai

Limited edition:

Coming up with limited edition of the brand is also a way of attracting attention towards

the brand. It creates a buzz and a feeling of urgency to try out the product and helps in

promotion of the brand. This strategy was also implemented by Lux by bringing out

limited editions like Chocolate Seduction, Aromatic Glow, Festive Glow and Haute Pink

ver the first three decades of its

existence, the brand took the platform

of protection from body odour. But the markets were gradually changing. In 1986, in an

attempt to modernise the image, 'New Cinthol' soap was launched with a new-look

packaging, shape and advertising, using celebrities like Vinod Khanna and Imran Khan.

The communication campaigns developed strong, confident and active associations with

Cinthol- attributes that went on to become an essential part of the brand imagery.

In 1989, in an attempt to capture a share of the lime soap market, Cinthol Lime was

launched. The attempt to capture a segment of this developing market was a resounding

success: it grabbed 8% market share in six months. In 1992, Cinthol Cologne was

launched to extend the brand franchise into a modern and new fragrance.

cinthol-vinod-khanna

cinthol-imran-add

By 1993, Godrej realised that it had to re-jig the brands to keep pace with the changing

environment. The three variants that had been launched post 1986 were brought under the

Cinthol International umbrella - Cinthol International Spice, Cinthol International Lime and

Cinthol International Cologne.

37


A complete positioning overhaul was undertaken between 1993 and 1995. Shah Rukh

Khan became the brand's new icon. His panache matched the brand's new platform:

revitalising and re-energising. With the launch of Cinthol Fresh in 1995, the brand was

extended into the popular segment as the first popular segment lime soap. It was a

runaway success. It was redefined as a family soap with the famous 'Tan taaza, man

taaza' campaign in 2000.

Currently, Godrej plans a complete makeover of its flagship soap brand Cinthol and has

hired Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan as a pitchman. The brand, which was launched in

1952 as the first deodorant soap in the country, has been through several changes since

then. It was initially positioned as a male-centric product but later it was repositiioned as

family soap but now, the company plans to pitch it as a youth-centric brand, along with

launching new products under the same brand name.

Promotion in rural market

Most fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have a two-pronged strategy to

tap rural markets. It comprises launching nano packs and scaling up rural distribution.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) is going a step further by adding a regional

advertising component.

The company advertises on Doordarshan, local TV and radio channels, the local press

and outdoor media. For its top-performing brands, it spends most of the cut-out budget on

regional advertising only. "For Godrej No. 1 soap, 100 per cent spends go in regional

advertising. For Cinthol, it is more than 50 per centThe strategy has borne fruit. Godrej No

1 is now the number one soaps player in the north. Its annual sales exceed Rs 500 crore

and it is the country_s third largest soap brand. Cinthol_s market share has

increased from 2.5 per cent to 2.8, while Cinthol deodorant has grown by 50 per cent in the

second quarter. For Expert, the company is running a campaign wherein it brands local

barber shops and salons under the _Expert_ brand. Under the programme, its sales team

introduces its products to rural folks through barbers, engaging the latter to co-brand their

shops or salons as Expert salons. The company has engaged 50,000 barber shops and

salons under this programme.

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E


Price points are also important. Godrej has also been rolling out nano packs priced

between Rs 5 and Rs 10. Besides Godrej No. 1 (Rs 5), Cinthol (Rs 6) and Expert (Rs 10), a

couple of months earlier, it introduced Nupur (mehndi) in Rs 5 and Rs 10 packs.

Washing Powders

ver heard of a detergent that praises its foe? We have

one which says _Daag achhe hain_ very confidently.

For any other brand, it would have been difficult to

convince the customers about the product with such a

paradoxical statement, but for Surf Excel, which can easily

be called as one of the most powerful detergent brands of

India, it seemed a cake walk. What_s more, the brand not

only focuses on its generic space of a detergent but also on making a social difference in the

lives of its consumers. Surf Excel_s social awareness campaigns like _Do bucket paani ab

rozana hai bachana_ and the scholarship campaign for unfortunate students too endear the

brand to the morally responsive Indian consumer. Right from _Lalitaji_, representative of

the true-blue cost-conscious Indian woman, till the inspiring storyboards of today, Surf Excel

has done it all and in style.

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Innovation truly distinguishes leaders from wannabes, and as detergent adverts go, Surf

Excel has proved to be the last word - both in terms of product offering and advertising

communiqué.. The era of Lalita Ji ensured that Surf represented the woman of that epoch,

which in turn managed to instill confidence among consumers. Surf transformed itself

into Surf Excel in 1996 with its campaign, ‘Kadi Safai, Magar Pyaar Se’, clearly

differentiating itself from the herd by offering a supplementary benefit of care. While

competitors such as Rin, Ariel, Tide and Henko were positioning themselves as

detergents that would aid in the removal of dirt by virtue of technological expertise, Surf

Excel chose to walk on an entirely different path. And now, with its plucky glorification of

dirt, it’s written the new clean-up mantra, ‘Daag Achche Hain.’ In sync with this credo,

the latest commercial of Surf Excel

does not rely on thematic communication like the

previous TVCs.

The concept was that while kids get stuck on

one thing, stains get stuck in 10 different

places.” Surf owns the distinction of being the

first ever detergent brand in India to have

begun advertising on television. The brand

has optimally utilised the medium of TV to

bring across the intrinsic worth of ‘bucket

wash.’ From placid and peaceful to feisty and

quick-witted, Surf Excel today practises a

refreshing modus operandi to speak to its customer. The brand’s advertising gained a

humongous amount of exposure by flagging off a host of in-store programmes and road

shows that entrenched it in the good books of the consumer. Being an overseas brand,

Surf has excelled in Indian markets for decades together - by no means a small

achievement - and marketing gurus admire the brand for its sheer tenacity.

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Distinctions in promotion of Surf

Surf was the first brand of detergent that was advertised on TV. It is advertised on

more than 300 channels across the globe .

Introduced the concept of bucket wash to housewives who up till now used to

washing clothes with laundry soap bars.

Brand to set up a one-stop shop - called Care line - for people seeking solutions to

their varied laundry problems.

Surf Excel underwent various changes in its Brand Communication; from ‘Lalitaji'

to 'dhoondte reh jaaoge' to 'jaise bhi daag ho, surf excel hai na', and is

today

communicated on the platform of 'Dhaag achcha hai'.

HLL is now reworking the Surf Excel strategy by moving away from positioning

the brand on functional benefits, to building an emotional connect.

Surf Excel is currently running two campaigns riding on the popularity of the "Daag

Ache Hain" ( Dirt is good) campaign.

The new campaign too strikes a chord with the consumers. Power of a "Big Idea”.

The second campaign takes a cue from the World cup. The ad features a group of

kids preparing for World Cup 2015.

The company has re-packaged the product using brick packaging which is a first

among detergents in the country.

Radio city campaign

Surf Excel, a leading detergent brand from Hindustan Unilever Limited, has come

together with India’s leading Radio Network, Radio City 91.1 Fm to celebrate

International Peace in Mumbai, where Children across the city got dirty for a noble cause and

spread the message of peace in a unique & colorful way.

Children across Mumbai are invited to participate in this activity through an on air

campaign on Radio City. Across schools, kids will leave colorful hand impressions on

multiple canvases. Surf Excel will then showcase these canvasses on hoardings and in

malls across the City, in a bold statement for World Peace as defined through a Child’s

eyes.

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W


hen we think of strong detergent in

general and low cost in particular,

Nirma is the first brand which comes to our

minds. Everyone remembers not just these

lines but also the tune!

“Washing powder Nirma,

Washing powder Nirma;

Doodh si safedi Nirma se

aaye,

rangeen kapda bhi khil-khil

jaye;

Rekha, Jaya, Meena aur

Sushma,

Sabki pasand Nirma”

The kind of impact that Nirma’s simple “Dancing Girl” advertisement managed to have

on prospective buyers was phenomenal. It perhaps was the most famous audio-visual of

its times. And it remained etched in the minds of people for a very long time.

Advertisements of Nirma focus on the “performance” and “cost effective” features of the

washing powder which has made it popular in most Indian households, who have been

using it for many years now. This product is targeted for middle class and lower middle

class population of India. Washing Powders have undergone a number of changes in

terms of composition, advertising etc ever since they were first introduced. And

consumer preferences have also changed accordingly with people more comfortable with

more sophisticated brands. Yet, Nirma with its distinct yellow color (later which became

blue) does crop up somewhere in the mind space of consumers, even nonusers.

The detergent brand that started out of Karsanbhai Patel's 100 square feet workshop in

1969 continues to be popular in middle-class homes of the country.

Recently Nirma launched the 'underwater' commercial, which showed dancers moving

with flowing fabric - a metaphor for clothes being washed in a bucket.

An important point in the ad was that it did not use the iconic Nirma jingle. This was a

first since 1982, when the first Nirma ad was made. Now, Nirma wanted its

communication to get back to talking about the dirt tackling properties of the detergent,


as well as use the legendary 'Washing powder Nirma' jingle

The brand was firm that it did not want to carry on with the montage film route; it needed

a different take on dirt removal. The ad opens on the shot of a vehicle rolling into a

puddle. A large amount of slush is about to fall onto a woman who is passing by. But just

as the slush is ready to land on the woman, she sternly turns towards the puddle. Pointing

her index finger at the slush, she says, "Nirma. Washing powder."

The slush pauses, surprised at the woman's words. She continues with the words of the

jingle, in a firm tone and without any music, and the slush begins to feel threatened.

Finally, she walks away untouched by the slush, which plops back into the puddle, much to

the surprise of the onlookers. Without any change to the product itself, the TVC

conveys the fact that dirt had better stay away from Nirma. Though Dhyani was skeptical

about whether the big bosses at Nirma would like the firmness of tone in the jingle, he

was pleasantly surprised when they were glad with the strict stand.

Nirma's success is synonymous with its advertising and marketing strategy. When

Karsanbhai Patel started selling his detergent powder, he decided to call it Nirma, derived

from the name of his daughter Nirupama. In the early years, the Nirma packet featured a

lady washing a garment. Later, however, the design was changed and an image of his

daughter was featured on the pack. The white dancing girl, featured in Nirma's television

advertising, is perhaps the most enduring image of Nirma. Though Ms. Patel passed away

in a car accident, she continues to live on in the corporate logo and the best selling brands

of the company.

Nirma's advertising has always focused on the value-for-money angle. Its simple and

catchy jingle - Dudh si safedi Nirma se aye, rangin kapda bhi khil khil

jaye - has continued to echo in the drawing rooms of middle-class Indian homes

through the decades. While the jingle stresses on the product, it also salutes the savvy

and budgetconscious Indian housewife. The jingle, which was first aired on radio in

1975, was broadcast on television in 1982. It is one of the longest running jingles and the

spot has seen very few changes since the time it was first aired.

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Nirma's promotion strategy, too, has many firsts to its credit. The company pioneered

product sponsorship through the electronic media. Besides, the company has developed a

unique advertising strategy - new products are launched with no advertising support.

Once the distribution glitches are sorted out and the product reaches the shelves of

retailers, the company begins to advertise it. The umbrella branding strategy helps to give

new products instant recall without increasing the advertising expense.

Nirma used radio, posters, banners and mobile vans among others as better media

options. It was also one of the first major advertisers on the National Network, a fact

borne by its jingle (Nirma Detergent tikia, iske jhaag ne jaadu kar diya),

which still generates instant recall. When you hear the all too-familiar tune Washing

Powder Nirma, you instantly know what it is talking about. The title 'Nirma Girl' going

round and round on her feet and her white dress rising fluff too made for a strong mnemonic

for the brand. This stood up to Surf's Lalitaji's "samajhdari."

Segment - Cosmetics

Promotional tools over the

years

TV Campaign

Fairness Meter

Fair & Lovely Scholarship

Programme 2007 on Reliance

Mobile or R World (Aug 14 - Sep

17, 45,000 Response

Getting the Dream Man there were

a series of films made on getting

the man of one’s dreams. In

addition, Fair & Lovely also spoke

to the married women about keeping the spark in the marriage alive.

The Airhostess ad. A young dark skinned colored girl’s father laments he has no son

to provide for him, as his daughter salary was not high enough-the suggestion being

that she could not get better job or get married because of her dark skin.

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The girl then uses the cream becomes fairer, and gets better paid job as an air hostess-

and makes her father happy.

Theater Actress Advertisement

Fair and lovely scholarship

The Fair & Lovely scholarships are awarded annually to deserving young girls who

intend to pursue higher education in India leading to Graduation, Post-Graduation and

PhD. Awarded by the Fair & Lovely Foundation, the Rs 100,000 )US $ 2500) scholarship

is meant for women ‘with an aptitude and ambition to achieve their goals’.

To provide visibility and synergy to the Fair & Lovely Campaign - Reliance

Communications’ R World platform was thought to be the best medium for advertising the

Scholarship programme for women as it gives a high reach in the desired target group The

Foundation specifically targets women who are from the low-income groups in the rural and

urban India.

This being a CSR activity the objective was to enable lead generation of potential women

candidates with a cost effective campaign as Hindustan Unilever Ltd did not include the

traditional media - TV & Print in its plan. To break free from the clutter of the traditional

medium and be the first brand under the Hindustan Unliver Limited umbrella to explore the

mobile platform which has never been used by the company in India before.

Induce call for action by enticing the user to fill in personal important details after

sharing the Scholarship and Fair & Lovely Foundation information which then could be

followed upon to shortlist the applications received.

Banner Advertising: Fair & Lovely Scholarship clickable banner on top of the screen on the

Main Menu of the Reliance Mobile World in WAP handsets.

The Banner was conceived to build rapid awareness about the Fair & Lovely Foundation and

scholarship program.

Microsite: The banner was also linked to the microsite which captured the essence of the

program in brief and allowed the interested users to apply then and there.

Millions of Impressions )more than 2 million impressions) have been recorded on the Fair

& Lovely Foundation Banner Ad

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The Banners were rotated / refreshed at regular intervals to maintain saliency & ensure

that it does not become a blind spot.

Fair & Lovely Scholarship Zone: Lead Generation Zone for the fair & Lovely

Scholarships

Aspiring women could apply for this scholarship through Reliance Mobile Phones’ R

World for the first time. Short-listed applicants were to be contacted by Fair & Lovely

Foundation

Potential students can send their entries through Reliance Mobile World on R World>Hot N

New>>Schlrshp Zn

Circles targeted to tap maximum number of applications - UP, AP, Maharashtra, Madhya

Pradesh &Chhatisgarh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Karnataka.

Candidates could fill-in important information such as name, age, area of interest to apply

through the Reliance Mobile World and apply instantaneously for the scholarship.

The zone also has detailed information about the Scholarship program and picture of one

of the previous scholarship winner - Amrita Singh which will inspire others to apply More than

30,000 students have applied on the Reliance Mobile World till date, filling in all 4 inputs

required for a successful entry

SMS Blast: SMS has been sent to all subscribers in the select circles for driving traffic to the

Scholarship Zone, encouraging students to apply.

IVR: The scholarship Program has also been promoted through the IVR in select circles. The

message relayed gave information about the program and directed the subscribers to apply

through the Reliance Mobile World.

Short Code: Subscribers can also apply by responding through the Short Code 51234 to

Reliance Communications.

Reliance Mobile World Website: Campaign details have also been uploaded on the

Reliance Mobile World website

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The Campaign Results

Promotions in Rural market

When Hindustan Lever, the fast-moving consumer goods numero uno, embarked on an

exercise in 2002 to promote its Fair & Lovely brand in the rural markets, the brief was

simple and clear: the brand was being looked at by rural consumers more as a one-time

make-up product rather than as a process product and this mis-positioning had to be

corrected right away. The challenge was to convey to the consumers that this product had to

be used regularly for a visible difference in complexion to happen.

Lever’s solution was an out-of-the-box one: The company created a brand ambassador—

an educated woman in her mid-twenties who was seen as a trendsetter—to spread its

gospel among the village’s women folk. The person was christened the ‘Fair & Lovely

Didi’, a person who would educate women to become sarva gun sampan (i.e., replete

with fine qualities) by giving them cookery tips, tips on how to do fine embroidery and so

on. By 2004, the initiative had expanded in scope to cover 11,000 villages. The strategy

bore fruit: Within two months of its operation in an area, more than 80% of the

consumers there were viewing the brand as a process product. Encouraged, HLL applied this

tactic to its other brands as well.

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While connecting with the rural masses has always been an integral part of Lever’s

marketing strategy, striking an emotional chord with rural India has now become the

mantra for success of every big company

Promotion:

Advertisements on Television

In serial branding with product placement in DD serials

Relationship building:

Direct Contact Programs with villagers - sales team to visit from time to time to increase

awareness, induce trial and repurchase

Find and target opinion leaders of the village to increase advocacy for our product

POP’s - danglers, shop branding, bus shelters, buntings

Target beauty parlors - to stock and advocate our product

Presence of stalls during Bazaar - offering makeovers and sampling

ITC BISCUITS

Biscuits and tea in the morning were a routine. So were the key

market players and their favorite products. The two major

players Britannia and Parle were busy biting of chunks of the

national market among themselves, with a host of smaller

brands in various regions. While the business was still very

competitive, there wasn’t anything groundbreaking. In 2003,

with ITC foraying into the segment, a lot of that changed. At

that time, Britannia and Parle held, between them over 82 per

cent of the market in value terms. ITC decided to enter the

foods segment because it’s a Rs 550,000 crore market in India. But only 6 per cent of this is

branded and packaged

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Promotions

In August 2003, a month after its launch, the company undertook a major sampling

exercise topromote the product. For two years then, the brand did all the usual rounds —

riding behind buses, blocking television spots, booking that corner space in your favorite

newspaper and so on. In April 2005, Sunfeast launched its major campaign. It signed on

Hindi film actor, Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador. In the same year, as the

official sponsor of the WTA tennis championship — titled the Sunfeast Open — the

company had teenage sensations Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi campaigning for it. But

that’s not all. For promotions in southern states, Sunfeast has signed Tamil super star Surya as

a brand ambassador.

Cornetto Ice Cream

Music album campaign

Kwality Wall's Cornetto launched the music album 'Ho Jaane De' in collaboration with

Universal Music to promote its two new flavours - Black Forest Flirt and Strawberry

Tease Cake.

The music album features talented singer Raghav Sachar and the multi-faceted Shruti

Hassan. Besides the album, a unique campaign 'Dedicate and Win' was also rolled out. This

campaign promotes the expression of love by facilitating people to dedicate songs to loved ones

over the mobile or internet.

Axe Deodorant Call Me' campaign

The study about phone conversations conducted on 750 girls by Axe research labs across six

cities in India showed that getting a girls phone number is a first step forward in the mating

game. This insight drove the new Axe “Call me” campaign idea that shows girls giving out

their phone numbers uncontrollably to guys who are wearing Axe. Besides the TVCs a full

360 media plan was used to drive

consumers to call the Axe number. About 45 lakh calls were received on the Axe number and

10 lakh wake up alarms were registered.

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Advertising and Promotion of Different FMCG Brands in India

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